Viacom boardroom battle may end soon, Applied Materials hits high, Deere ups outlook

Here are some of the stocks the Yahoo Finance team will be watching for you today.

Applied Materials (AMAT) soared to a fresh 52-week high in early trading. The maker of chip equipment used to manufacture memory chips lifted its outlook for the current quarter after reporting stronger than expected earning for its fiscal third quarter as profit and orders surged to a record thanks to demand for new technology used in mobile phones. However, revenue came in slightly below estimates.

Viacom’s (VIAB) Sumner Redstone may get what he wants. The media giant’s CEO Philippe Dauman is leaving the company, according to various reports. In part of a settlement, both sides will drop individual lawsuits, and Dauman will get a $72 million severance package.

Deere (DE) boosted its profit outlook for the year after forking over earnings that topped analysts’ estimates as its cost-cutting efforts paid off. However, profit fell from a year ago and revenue missed estimates.

Gap (GPS) lowered its profit outlook for the year as sales declined in its second quarter. Gap continues to struggle to attract customers and improve margins by offering fewer promotions and controlling its inventories.

Square (SQ) shares rose in early trading after Steve Cohen’s Point72 Asset Management increased its stake in the digital payment processing company to 5.4%.